The 1001 Sequences challenge is still going strong. Today, I took part in a group effort to do 108 Surya Namaskars. There were 17 of us there and we finished in under an hour, so the pace was pretty brisk. That's one round every 30 seconds. Note that a "round" includes both left and right sides; some people call that two rounds!

I counted each move out loud as I did it with them. That's 2592 numbers (108 x 24)! I found it difficult to coordinate my breathing and movements while counting. As a result, my form suffered and my knees felt sore afterwards. Next time, I'll pre-record the count on my iPhone so I can relax and focus on the sequence.

My daughter, Natalia, is running group personal training sessions at Fitness First for $25 a pop. The money will go to UNICEF to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in East Africa. Inspired by her example, I suggested that we each donate to the appeal. That fired everyone up, and we raised nearly $400. I'd also like to thank the people from the weekend yoga classes who donated, as well as the members of Art of Living who donated money last night.

This was a wonderful way to spend part of Day 454 of my 1001 Sequences challenge.

Thanks to all who participated. Now I need to wash all of those perspiration-drenched yoga mats!

  – Why 108 Sun Salutations?

  Lots of reasons. Have a look here.